Winter/Early Spring Race Plans

Yesterday and today have been super dreary winter days in the south. Being cooped up indoors and unable to have any outside play time has my toddler (and myself) going a little stir crazy. To combat these dreary thoughts, I'm thinking happy ones...like the Walt Disney World kind! In just 26 days, we will be returning to the most magical place on earth for the Princess Half Marathon weekend and I cannot wait!

I'm getting ahead of myself, though...

Today, I'm sharing with you my winter/early spring racing plans (which includes Princess)!

What's first on the list?

Rock n Roll New Orleans

Source: RnR New Orleans

This race is one I've run every year since its existence (minus 2016 when I was very pregnant for my son). To note, I was actually registered for 2016 and determined to do the race, but I was deterred by my OB due to potential issues I was having. So to keep it safe, I had a medical form signed and had to bow out of that race. Regardless, I'm still planning on keeping the streak alive and doing this race as many years as possible. 

For 2020, I'm doing this race with my Florida buddy Melissa. We are both battling injury at the moment, so we are just planning on run/walking the whole thing and having fun. In all the years I've run this race, I've never ever stopped for beignets along the course and depending on the line when we pass Cafe du Monde, we might just get an order!! How funny would that be? Again, we will see the logistics once we pass by, but since we aren't running this one for time, why not live it up? 

Oh yes, and we will also be wearing the Mardi Gras Mickey ears, so if you see us, please say hi!

Disney's Fairy Tale Challenge

Source: runDisney

Ah yes, sunshine (hopefully) and good times...at least that's what this dreary weather has me looking forward to! 

We are planning to arrive early for the Princess Half Marathon Weekend and stay just one day after the weekend is over, with hopes that we will be able to see Galaxy's Edge prior to the race weekend and Mardi Gras crowd. Although I have a game plan in mind, we shall see how it all works out. I am running both the 10K and the Half and somehow missed out on registering Brayden for the Kids Races. Oh well...hopefully next time! 

Our resort for this trip is Saratoga Springs (a first for us) and we can't wait! I do plan to make it out to a few meetups while there, so I hope to see some of you around!

Injury

Last but not least, where am I with my hamstring injury? Well, it's still there. 

It's NOT at all what it was, but I still have a nagging pain that just won't go away. To be honest, I severely slacked on my PT workouts during the holidays and am just getting back into doing them on a routine basis (4-5 times per week vs 2 times per week during the holidays). You know that slump where you feel like you've been injured forever and it won't ever go away? Well, that's where I'm at right now. I'm still doing Orangetheory and all, but long runs on concrete outside still make me nervous and with lingering soreness the next day. So, my plan right now is to run these upcoming races as best as I can and continue with an increase in PT workouts for now. I know it'll get better eventually, but this one really is taking forever! 

So, that's my upcoming plans and where I'll be over the course of the next month! If you're at either of these race events and see me, please say hi! I hope this winter weather is treating you nice! Have a magical day!

Physcial Therapy Update Part 2

Since my last Physical Therapy update, things with my hamstring have slowly continued to improve. Although the pain is not as high as it was just a few months ago, it's still slightly there and I'm still having difficulty running outside on hard ground.

However, I have hope!

My two month "medical" break from Orangetheory finished up this month and since I couldn't put it on break for another month, I have returned! Leading up to this return, (and with the help of my physical therapist), we discovered that although I couldn't run outside on hard ground, I COULD run on the treadmill without any additional pain!

So, I've been back to two classes and although they went ok, they were majorly modified to fit my body's capabilities. For example, I got the dates mixed up and assumed that Orange Everest (where you get the treadmill up to an incline of 15) was on Saturday instead of Friday. I ended up at Friday's class and while everyone else was pushing their inclines up to kingdom come, I was in my own little world on a 0.5% incline, just jogging away. I'm working up to a 1% incline, but for now a 0.5% incline is all the hamstring can handle.

On Monday's class, I didn't check the schedule ahead of time and somehow ended up in a class that included 23 minutes of rowing. I can't win for losing! Lots of rowing + hamstring = no go.

Thankfully my coach was super understanding and helped me to modify anything I couldn't do. So, after rowing about 2800 meters, my hamstring was starting to let me know it was bothered by all the rowing. Instead, I jumped on the treadmill to run for the remainder of class and ran an extra mile.

Although I left the class feeling great, my back seriously gave out on me that night (first time that's EVER happened) and it brought me to my knees with pain. I was able to limp through the night with it and sent out an SOS to my physical therapist when I got to work on Tuesday morning. She worked it out and thankfully all was well after that! I seriously feel for people who endure back pain all of the time! That was some of the worst!

Now, I've come down with some kind of cold or sickness and although I've tried to do everything in my power to baby it, I think it's starting to settle into my lungs. This is seriously bringing horrible flashbacks to the lung thing I contracted last year. My work boss so lovingly described it as "the great lung plague". Thanks, bud. I'm thinking an Urgent Care visit might be in order sometime today. *face palm

Anyway, I said all of that to say - my hamstring is on the mend. It's not there yet and I still have a good road of physical therapy ahead of me, but at least it's getting there. Now I just need to get over this sick hump and I think I'll be doing pretty darn good!

If you've followed along on my journey this long, thank you! I'm still planning on running the Two Course Challenge at Disney! Definitely crossing my fingers and hoping to come out on the other side, still standing!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Friday Life Update

Well, it's been a little while and it's mainly because my computer has been down for the count. We aren't sure what happened to it, but it had to be wiped and re-booted from scratch and I still don't quite have all of my programs up and running again. It will be soon, though!

Since we haven't "spoken" in a while, I thought I'd give a little update on how life is going in these parts here lately!

-It's STILL hot. Although the early mornings and late evenings are starting to slowly cool down, it's still oh so hot outside during the day. Hopefully we will have a true fall day here soon. Scratch that - I just heard our meteorologist say that although the first day of fall begins on Monday, it won't feel like it all week. Ah well, one can dream, right?

-My. Child. Is. Growing. Like. A. Weed. He officially turns three and a half next month and it's amazing to watch him grow. His brain seriously soaks up information like a sponge and I'm just amazed at all he's learned (and remembers). Seriously, if you ask him our room number from our June Alaska cruise, he remembers it! His speech has significantly improved since last fall, too. Watching videos from last year at this time makes me scratch my head over the improvement. Every day, we are so thankful for our rowdy, sweet, sensitive, mickey mouse and water puddle loving little boy!

-Physical Therapy. It's still going. Hamstrings are just so slow to heal and although I'm getting there, progress seems so slow sometimes. In the past 12 weeks, I've run one-1 mile run and three-2 mile runs. That's it. For someone who has spent the past 11 years as a runner, this is tough. I know it's necessary, but it's tough. After a little discussion with my PT, it was suggested that I try a treadmill run instead of an outside run, so I did. Thinking about the mechanics of the treadmill vs the ground makes sense and it worked - I didn't have any residual stiffness the following day and I didn't feel as if it set me back. So, I'm going to attempt another 2 mile treadmill run this Saturday to see where I'm at. For the record, I'm not going fast or hard with this and I'm listening to my body the entire way. If I feel anything at all, I stop. The road to recovery is a strange one to say the least and all of my "running" has been physical therapist directed. Hopefully I'll be up and "running" for real, soon.

-Since y'all know I can't sit still - with three months of not running, do you think I've been sitting on the couch watching TV all day? No. Apart from working and spending time with my family, I've cleaned out my entire house from top to bottom. The entire attic (minus Christmas boxes) was sorted through and items were donated or thrown away. Then, my entire house-room by room-drawer by  shelf and container was gone through and cleaned. Items were also either donated or thrown away. Every room also received a thorough clean (including under the beds). I'm sure y'all feel me when I say a good purge feels amazing!

I hope life has been treating all of you just fine! A great way to keep up with our life on a more consistent basis (if you're interested in keeping up with us) is over on instagram. I've also recently published several videos from our August Disney World trip over on YouTube. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!! Stay kind, friends!

Physical Therapy Update (Hamstring Injury)

If you've been a follower over here on the blog or on instagram for any length of time, I'm sure you've noticed my lack of participation in Orangetheory, week day runs, and long runs. Well, the reasoning behind this lack of fitness is not entirely my own.

For a while now (and I mean a long while now), I've been experiencing issues with my right hamstring. It would become irritated, bother me, I would rest/ice it, then it would feel better and I would move on. This cycle occurred once every couple of months, but it definitely continued. After some time had passed, I noticed that the interval between "flareups" was becoming shorter and shorter before one day, the pain stopped going away and began to travel higher - above my hamstring - and started to cause leg stiffness. I decided I would take a 2 week break from running (after Mayhem at Orangetheory was over) and mostly rest while on our cruise - with the exception being National Running Day because...hello, I can't miss that day.

My leg mostly felt ok on the cruise until our formal night when I was trying to waste time and chased Brayden up and down several flights of stairs for 45 minutes in heels. (Dumbest move, ever.) On National Running Day, I ran 2 miles around the ship and although I definitely enjoyed the run, that nagging pain was in my leg the entire time which also led to leg stiffness for the next day or so. It was only then that I decided to push my stubbornness out of the way and call my ortho. They were able to fit me in the following week and before I knew it, I had an order for physical therapy in hand!

Starting on a new physical therapy journey with an entirely new (to me) PT was scary and exciting all at the same time. Lucky for me, the one I chose is a runner, and her office is literally located down the hall from my work space! When I tell you this scenario literally could not have worked out more perfect, I seriously mean it!

This physical therapy center is setup in a one on one type manner. Basically, I have the undivided attention of my physical therapist for the entire 45 minute session and it's wonderful! She focuses on deep tissue, cupping (ouch), and proper technique.

What type of work does she have me doing? Well, on the first day, she introduced the...(insert ominous music here)...theraband...and I actually groaned out loud. For those who attend Orangetheory, I'm sure you feel me on this one! I always avoid theraband days if I can - which is probably why I landed myself in this boat in the first place! Note to self - do not avoid Orangetheory theraband days in the future!

Most of my exercises are centered around glute strengthening and alignment. The body working in a criss-cross manner seriously still blows my mind but I definitely see it here! It amazes me how a muscle weakness on one side of the body can cause the opposite side to overcompensate which then leads to the boat I'm in...injury.

Interestingly enough through all of this - my IT Band has not bothered me AT ALL which is amazing to be honest!

I've officially made it to the 6 week mark of a running/Orangetheory break which also means I've completed 6 weeks of physical therapy thus far. How am I feeling? Well, I the pain has gotten a LOT better. Although the pain is still there, it's not even close to the scale it was prior to starting with PT. I saw my ortho last week for a follow up and he was encouraged with my progress. He re-certified me for an additional round of PT and I'm so grateful! Hopefully with a few additional weeks of visits and strengthening, I'll be able to start running again slowly and we will see where that leads!

I also realize that hamstrings are quirky and can become re-injured at any time. Keeping up with this strength training is going to be ever important for me as I continue on with my running journey. I'm ready!!

So tell me, have you ever dealt with a running related injury? How did you overcome it? Anyone else have a successful hamstring injury story? 

Today, I'm also linking up with KookyRunner and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics!